Growing Saints

Family Newsletter * October 13, 2022

"This is what we are about: we plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise."

-Attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romeo

From the Principal's Office...

We have such an amazing community! One of the hallmarks of our school is that on top of being a great place for children to learn, we are also a school family growing, loving, and laughing together. We love our community events like the Walk-a-thon and our upcoming Trunk or Treat for Halloween.


Walk-a-thon

Thank you to everyone who helped support our Walk-a-thon. This is our main fundraiser which directly supports our school budget. Best practice in Catholic Schools states that our school operating budget should be evenly split between tuition, parish support, and fundraising/other sources. The proceeds from the Walk-a-thon help us to maintain that balance.


Our goal is to raise $5000. That averages to just about $100 per family. This is doable, please help us reach our goal. Donations are due to the school office on Monday, October 17.


Trunk or Treat

When we had to shift gears over the past couple of years, one of the community events that consistently gets rave reviews is our Trunk or Treat instead of classroom parties for Halloween. This year, we will be marching our costume parade to Mrs. Betty's house and back and then trunk or treating in the parking lot. If you would like to join us, please contact Mrs. Harnish at 269.792.2016. We need volunteers to walk with the Costume Parade and lots of people who are willing to open and decorate their trunks and hand out candy. Please remember that we do have students with tree nut allergies. If you are willing to bring allergen free treats (no tree nuts) Mrs. Harnish will have a special sign for your trunk. More details are below.


St. Therese and Sts. Cyril and Methodius, pray for us!


Sheryl O'Connor

Virtue of the Week October 17-23: Courtesy

Definition: Treating other people with respect, recognizing that all are made in God's image and likeness.


Prayer: Dear Jesus, Help me to show respect toward others in my words, manners, and body language.


Listen to the Virtue Minute to learn about St. Vincent de Paul and the virtue of Courtesy.

Trunk or Treat-October 28

We will be celebrating Halloween on Friday, October 28 with a Costume Parade and Trunk or Treat in the parking lot. Because we are going a short distance off school property, there is a permission slip for the Costume Parade. In the case of rain, we will set up tables throughout the building and "Table Treat" in the hallways.


Our plan is to parade just around the corner to Mrs. Betty's house and then circle back to school for Trunk or Treating fun. If you would like to participate by volunteering to decorate your trunk and hand out treats, please contact Jessica in the office. For the safety of our students, volunteers must be Virtus trained and have a current criminal background check on file.

Help Needed

The virtual auction during Catholic Schools Week is a big hit and raises money for our Home and School group. They support so many of the activities and extras through the year. In order to have donations for the auction, we need to start now. We have everything you need to get going, we just need someone to help us put it all together. If you are willing to help, let us know!


Volunteers Needed


All school volunteers are required to be Virtus trained (available online) and have a current criminal background check. You may complete the Virtus training at www.Virtus.org>>First Time Registrant.


Criminal background check (iChat) forms can be found here and may be turned in at the office.

All Hallow's Eve Retreat-October 31

On Monday, October 31, we use the celebration of All Hallow's Eve to prepare to celebrate All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day. This will be our first whole school retreat of the year and will take place at school. Students are welcome to bring a picture of a family member who has passed away for our All Soul's Day Altar.

Upcoming Events

Friday, October 14

No School

Teachers are in professional development all-day


Monday, October 17

Walk-a-thon Donations due to office


Tuesday, October 18

Library-Chaperone still needed to walk with classrooms!


Wednesday, October 19

Half-Day 11:45 dismissal, no dismissal bus

School Improvement meeting for staff in the afternoon


Thursday, October 20

9:30 School Mass


Monday, October 24

School Picture Retakes


Wednesday, October 26

Kindergarten-Sixth Grade will be going to the Community Garden to (finally) dig our potatoes and pick our popcorn. Permission slips can be found in Family Portal>>Web Forms>>Digging Potatoes.


Thursday, October 27

9:30 am School Mass


Friday, October 28

Morning: Preschool Halloween

2:30 pm Trunk or Treat @ St. Therese


Monday, October 31

9-11:25 All School Retreat: All Hallows Eve preparing for All Saints and All Souls Day


Tuesday, November 1

10 am Mass at SSCM, All Saint's Day

(No Library)


Wednesday, November 2

9:30 am All Souls Day Service


Thursday, November 3

9:30 Mass

Lunch Menu

You can check the Wayland Union Schools website for updates. Since we do not receive lunch from Wayland on Wednesdays, we will again be offering pizza lunch on Wednesdays. Forms are located in the family portal under web forms.


October 22 Lunch Menu

2022-23 Free and Reduced School Meals Application

Health Reminders

As we get into cold and flue season, a few reminders:


*If your child has run a fever, they need to be fever free for at least 24 hours (without using medications) to return to school.

*We have at home Covid tests available at no charge. You may request one (or more) in the office.

*Allegan County Health Department Guidelines for Covid